Data recorder with swingable bed



Jan. 7, 1969 J. A. MAUL ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet 1 of 7 Filed Oct. 4, 1965 AT TORNE Y 1969 J. A. MAUL ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet Filed Oct. 4, 1965 INVENTORS. JoH/v A./7Au1 JAMES 7T ZOFCHAK [SW M l -0%- ATTORNE X Jan. 7, 1969 J. A. MAUL ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet 3 of '7 Filed Oct. 4, 1965 INVENTORS.

JOHN A MA UL JAMES 7T ZOFCHAK B) M ATTORNE Y.

Jan. 7, 1969 J. A. MAUI. ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet iled Oct. 4, 1965 m m W m JoH/v ANAUL JAMES 7T ZOFCHAK BY M ozw ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 .1. A. MAUL ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet Filed 001;. 4, 1965 K mum TAM v v u f JM m A A v1 5 Jan. 7, 1969 J. A. MAUL ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet Filed 001.. 4, 1965 INVENTORS. JOHN A. MA uz. JAMES 7? Z OFCHAK ATTORNEY.

Jan. 7, 1969 J. A. MAUL. ETAL DATA RECORDER WITH SWINGABLE BED Sheet Filed Oct. 4, 1965 s K WLM M m Em m wf N 5 ME m J Fig. 9

ATTORNE).

United States Patent 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A power operated data recorder which is roughly cubical provides an open-throat effect by hinging at the bottom a side section of the cube, permitting it to open to approximately a angle. The hinged section serves as a bed of the machine against which a roller platen is designed to act, and contains means for positioning and retaining printing elements and forms.

The bed is manually moved to closed position which activates the machine, setting the roller platen in motion to effect an imprinting operation. When the roller platen reaches the end of the printing stroke, the bed of the machine opens, the platen returns to its home position and the machine shuts off.

The present invention relates to a printing machine and, more particularly, to an electrically powered data recorder for imprinting forms from embossed printing devices.

Data recorders are currently being used in a wide variety of applications for imprinting various types of forms, documents and the like. In many cases these data recorders include roller platens and are designed for a manual operation wherein the operator grasps the platen carriage and causes the roller to pass over a form and a printing member or token lying on the bed to cause an impression of the data on the printing member to be made on the form.

It will be appreciated that while data recorders of the foregoing kind have met with a certain amount of success, the manual operation associated with these machines, and the fact that the same machine is frequently operated by various people during a normal work period, result in non-uniformity in the quality of the printed impressions on the forms. Also, in those cases where the data recorders are utilized for fairly high production by a single operator, the manual actuation of the machines becomes tedious and undesirable. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a small electrically operated imprinter or data recorder which avoids the problem of non-uniformity implicit in manual operation, but which can still be provided in a price range such that effective use for ordinary data recorder purposes is not precluded.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric data recorder having a movable side section hinged to a base to provide an open-throat for the reception of the embossed card and the form to be printed, and wherein the platen is automatically set in printing motion when the movable section is pivoted to closed position against the base.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically opening the movable section of the data recorder on completion of a printing stroke to avoid double imaging of the form as the platen moves back to its home position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gauge which guides the form to be imprinted into proper hori- Patented Jan. 7, 1969 zontal and vertical registration, with respect to the embossed card, where it is retained by gravity.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide means for readily removing and replacing the roller platen of the machine without resort to the use of tools of any kind.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an electrically operated data recorder in which the hinged side section is the bed of the machine and contains means for positioning and retaining all of the printing elements in full view and in readily accessible positions.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide means to prevent starting of the powered operation of the data recorder until the side section is latched in closed position against the base, thereby affording completely safe operation with no danger of the operators fingers being caught between the bed and the moving platen.

According to the present invention the foregoing objects are attained by providing an electrically operated data recorder which, in the form shown in the accompanying drawings, is roughly cubical. An open-throat etfect is obtained by hinging at the bottom a side section of the cube, permitting it to open to approximately a 45 angle. The pivoted or hinged section serves as the bed of the machine against which the platen is designed to act, and contains means for positioning and retaining the printing elements. In its open position the bed is exposed to observation from a top view and accessible for operator installation of printing elements and forms. A pocket and a retainer are provided in the bed for receiving and locating an embossed card and it is merely necessary to slide the card face up under the retainer whereupon the card is securely held in place within the pocket. The card is removed by lifting the top edge of the card after which it is pulled directly up from under the retainer and out of the pocket.

With an embossed card in position on the bed of the machine, a form to be imprinted is dropped into a channel type gauge which is also attached to the bed. The gauge provides a funnel contour which guides the form into proper registration Where it is retained by gravity. Means are also provided on the gauge for accurately positioning different sizes of forms therewithin. The bed is then moved by the operator to a vertical or closed position which automatically actuates the machine and sets the roller platen in motion to etfect an imprinting operation. When the platen reaches the end of the printing stroke, the bed of the machine automatically opens and the platen returns to its home position. The machine shuts off when the platen reaches home position, and the operator then removes the embossed card and the form.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a right side elevation of an electrically operated data recorder constructed in accordance with the present invention in idle position with the bed open;

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation thereof with the cover removed and showing the parts as they appear after the bed is closed and just before the printing stroke has begun;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 4 is a face view of the bed layout taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a roller platen drive mechanism taken substantially on the line 77 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a section taken on the line 88 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail section, condensed, showing the features of the front cover.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8, the electric data recorder of the present invention comprises an upstanding main frame or a base B including a pair of side plates 10 and 12 having outwardly bent flanges 14 and 16 respectively at their bottom ends. The side plates are rigidly held in spaced apart relation by tie bars 18, 20 and 22 which are secured to the side plates by nuts 24 as shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7. A plate 26 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 7) for suspending a motor assembly 28 is also positioned between the side plates, and is provided with an extension 30, 30 at each end (FIG. 7). Each extension is positioned within an opening 32 in the side plates, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, to thereby retain the plate 26 against movement. As seen in FIG. 2, the openings 32 are provided with a series of inwardly facing protuberances 33 which afford a snug fit of the extensions 30 within the openings 32, 32.

An actuator arm 34 for a switch MS is positioned on the tie bar 20, and up against the inside face of the side plate 10, where it is held in place by a C washer 35 as seen in FIGS. 2, 6 and 8. One end 33 of the actuator arm is adjacent an opening 36 provided in each of the side plates 10 and 12. Opening 36 is also provided with inwardly facing protuberances which serve to snugly retain a lock bar 38 therebetween for accurately guided endwise sliding motion as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8. One end of the lock bar 38 is provided with a compression spring 40 which is retained between a shoulder on the lock bar and the side plate 12. Also, the lock bar has an ear 42 formed outwardly therefrom at its upper edge as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, for a purpose to be explained below. As will presently appear, the lock bar mechanism 38, 40, 42 constitutes a memory device sensitive to the presence of the platen at home position or its absence therefrom, to assist in controlling the switch MS.

The motor assembly 28 is best shown in FIG. 3 and is fastened to the underside of the plate 26 by screws 44. The motor 28 is of a commercially available type which includes reduction gearing 29 serving output shaft 46, and also is arranged with a vertical, gravity actuated rotor shaft which drops the rotor slightly below the stator field level when the stator energization is shut off and raises it axially into alignment with the stator when the field of the stator is energized. This axial motion of the rotor shaft is conveniently used to effect a clutching and declutching action between the rotor and the gear train so that rotor inertia will not interfere with the desired stopping of the parts at a predetermined location when the power is turned off. Alternatively, the rotor may be allowed to remain in driving engagement with the gear train with the axial shift of the rotor being used to apply a friction braking action to the rotor at shut-off with similar effect. Either arrangement is found acceptable for use with the present invention. The output shaft 46 projects upwardly from the reduction gear housing 29 of the motor, through a clearance opening 48 provided in the plate 26, and has a crank arm 50 secured thereon. As viewed in FIG. 7, the output shaft 46 is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction.

A movable side section 104 is mounted on the base B at one side thereof for movement between an open position spaced from the side of the base and a closed position against the side of the base. The side section principally comprises a bed for receiving printing elements and forms, which has first and second ends corresponding to the left and right ends of an embossed card or printing token C as shown in FIG. 4. The bed is so arranged as to be generally upright in all of its positions, and the forms are retained on the bed by gravity in all such positions, as will be further explained hereinafter.

A drive fork 52 of substantially U-shaped configuration is provided for moving a roller platen P across the bed in a fixed path from a home position adjacent the first end of the bed to an actuated position adjacent the second end of the bed, defining a printing stroke of the platen in which the platen sweeps out an erect rectangular plane in an unobstructed position. On reaching the actuated position, the bed is moved to open position and the platen is moved back to the home position along the same fixed path.

The rectangular plane generated by the platen is a mathematical term that is universally understood and needs no teachings, i.e., surfaces are generated by movement of lines through space. Thus, the platen moves back and forth in a path, and the exterior of the platen moves on a generated plane. It is with respect to this generated plane that the bed 150 is moved to the closed position for the printing act, the bed providing an erect substantially planar area corresponding to the rectangular plane generated by the roller platen axis. Because the exterior of the platen extends beyond the extremities of the upstanding main frame, and the back and forth movement of the platen is in a fixed path, the rectangular plane generated by the platen is in an unobstructed position in space such that bed 150 has access to close the generated plane. With reference to FIGS. 3, 6 and 7, it will be seen that the drive fork 52 is mounted for pivotal or swinging movement on a vertical pivot rod 54 which passes through the tie bars 18 and 20, and also through the upper and lower arms of the drive fork.

The upper arm of the drive fork 52 is drivingly associated with the crank arm 50 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. In this regard, crank arm 50 is provided with an upwardly projecting pin 58, having a bushing 60 thereon, and the upper arm of the drive fork is provided with a slot 62 which receives the bushing 60 for controlled movement therewithin. The forward end of the upper arm is bifurcated to afford a slot 64 which supports one end of the platen assembly as will be further explained below. Also, the drive fork 52 is preferably spring biased toward starting position by a tension spring 53 (FIG. 7).

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower arm of the drive fork 52 is provided at one edge with an arcuate cam surface 66 adapted to coact with the ear 42 of the lock bar 38, and at the opposite edge with a substantially triangularly shaped extension 68 for purposes to be described later. Additionally, the forward end of the lower arm is also bifurcated to afford a slot 70 for supporting the other end of the platen assembly.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the platen assembly comprises the roller platen P mounted in vertical position on an axle shaft 72. The roller platen is conventional in construction and may be of the dry or uninked variety if carbon paper interleaved forms are to be imprinted, or it may be of the ink impregnated type if single sheet forms are to be imprinted. Obviously, the ink impregnated platen may also be utilized for imprinting the topmost member of a multipart form, if desired, when the printing element carries direct reading type. The paten shaft 72 is journalled at its upper end in a bushing 74 which rides in the slot 64 of the drive fork 52, and at its lower end in a bushing 76 which rides in the slot 70 of the drive fork. The platen P is rotatably mounted on the shaft 72 between a pair of roller bearings 78 and 80, and the roller bearings are retained on the shaft by conventional C washers. A similar washer also preferably impinges against the lower arm of the drive fork 52 to hold the shaft 72 against vertical displacement.

The platen assembly is guided in its movement across the bed of the machine on a pair of pressure applying guide rails 84 and 86 as seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, wherein bearing 78 rides on the rail 84 and bearing 80 rides on the rail 86. The rails are substantially square in cross section, extend between the side plates and 12, and are mounted in slightly larger rectangular openings provided in the side plates. The rails are further provided with adjusting means to permit adjustment of the platen pressure in accordance with the thickness of the embossed card and the form to be imprinted.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the adjusting means comprises screws 88, 88 each having an eccentric head coacting with one of the rails 84 and 86. The screws are provided with threaded tenons which extend outwardly through the side plates and are locked in place by nuts 90, and the heads of the screws are in engagement with the rear face of each of the rails. The nuts 90, together with washers such as 91, 91 also serve to lock the rails against endwise movement. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the washers 91, 91 are large enough in diameter so that they overlie a portion of the openings in the side plates to thereby retain the guide rails in place. By loosening the nuts 90, the eccentric screws 88, 88 may be rotated to move the rails either forwardly or rearwardly within the openings in the side plates to increase or decrease the paten pressure respectively. When the desired platen pressure is obtained, the nuts are tightened and the rails are held in position against the heads of the screws 88 by the pressure of the bearings 78 and 80. Preferably, the front face of each of the rails 84 and 86 is provided with a pair of spaced apart shallow pressure-relief recesses 92, 92 which will receive the roller bearings 78 and 80 at each end of the platen stroke, as seen in FIG. 7, for a purpose which will be presently explained.

A leaf spring 82 is provided for supporting the platen P in such a way that it can be readily removed and replaced without the use of tools. As shown in FIG. 3, the spring 82 is mounted against the upper surface of the lower arm of the drive fork, for example by connecting one end to the pivot rod 54 where it is held in position by a washer 56. The spring extends forwardly along the upper surface of the arm, then upwardly to the level of the bottom end of the platen P, and then forwardly again to the platen shaft 72. The spring is preformed to apply a rearwardly directed force to the platen P. The end of the spring 82 which engages the shaft 72 is provided with a clearance hole through which the shaft passes. With this arrangement it is possible by grasping the palten P or the upper end of the shaft 72 with the thumb and the forefinger and applying a slight forward pressure, to swing the upper end of the shaft 72 out of the slot 64. In this position, shaft 72 is still retained in the clearance hole provided in the spring 82, and also by the bushing 76 positioned within the slot 70 in the lower arm of the drive fork, but the upper end of the shaft 72 is free of the fork whereby the bushing 74, bearing 78 and palten P may be slid upwardly on the shaft and removed therefrom. Subsequently, a new roller platen may be placed on the shaft, the bearing 78 and bushing 74 put back in place with the bushing positioned within the slot 64 of the drive fork, and the entire platen assembly allowed to rock back into normal position by the action of the spring 82 which, as mentioned above, applies a rearwardly directed force thereto.

Means is provided for controlling the movement of the bed 150 between open and closed positions comprising a bail 94 of substantially U-shaped configuration which is pivotally supported at its open upper end on a pin 96, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6. The pin 96 is mounted between and in the side plates 10 and 12, and it is held in place by C washers 98. The bail is adapted for pivotal motion and is spring biased in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in'FIGS. 2 and 3, by a 6 spring 100 connected at one end to the lower end of the bail, and at its other end to a lug 102 on the bed of the data recorder. A latch bar 106 is floatingly mounted between the side plates 10 and 12, Its horizontal motion is controlled by the bail 94, since it extends through openings 108, 108, only slightly larger than its own width, formed in the bail arms. Its vertical position is defined by slots 110, 110 provided in both side plates, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6. The latch bar 106 extends through these slots for forward and back sliding motion caused by the bail 94, and is held against endwise displacement by the cover of the machine.

Located against the outer surface of the side plate '10 is an actuator slide 114 having a projection 116 depending from its bottom edge. The ends of the slide carry screws 118 and 124, which have enlarged shanks slidably received in the slots 120 and 126 respectively in the side plate 10 to support the slide for movement thereon. The screw 118 has an eccentric head portion '121 in engagement with an edge of the actuator arm 34 and is locked in place on the slide with a nut 122. The screw 124 has an integral disc 127 which fits within a vertically elongate slot 128 provided in the bail 94 and is locked in place on the slide with a nut 130. The end of the screw 124 which extends inwardly from the disc 127 is reduced and provides a trunnion for a roller 132 which is retained thereon 'by a C washer 134. As will be explained below, the roller is adapted to be engaged by a camming surface 135 of an arm 136 provided on the bed of the machine and, as the bed is moved to open position, the roller acts as a stop against the camming surface and maintains the bail 94 in the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The eccentric head 121 on screw 118 affords an adjustment for accurately setting the linkage with respect to the operation of the switch MS by the actuator arm 34.

The normally open micro-switch MS is mounted on the inside surface of the side plate 10 (see FIG. 2) and is actuated by the pivotally mounted actuator arm 34 which is adapted to depress and release a spring extended plunger 142 on the switch MS as will be further described hereinafter.

As previously stated, the movable side section is indicated generally at 104 in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, and comprises the bed portion 150 with which the platen coacts during printing. The movable section is preferably a strong, rigid aluminum casting provided with the previously mentioned horizontally extending arm 136 integrally formed at the lower end of one side edge and a similar integrally formed arm 137 at the other side. As previously explained, the arm 136 has a camming surface which coacts with the roller '132 and the edge of the latch bar 106. The arm 137 is somewhat similarly shaped and has a corresponding camming surface (not shown) for coaction with the edge of the latch bar 106 at its opposite end. Both arms 136 and 137 provide latch faces, 107 and 107 respectively (see FIG. 6) at the upper ends of the camming surfaces against 'which the ends of the latch bar 106 engage to lock the section 104 firmly in closed position in opposition to the printing pressure exerted thereagainst by the platen P. A rod 154 is mounted in the side plates 10 and 12 of the base B and pivotally supports the section 104 for movement between the dotted and full line positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. A rubber bumper 139 is provided on the arm 137, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, and engages the underside of the rail 86 when the section 104 is moved to open position, to thereby quietly stop and prevent further opening movement thereof.

The bed portion 150 of the movable section 104 is laid out as shown in FIG. 4, wherein are illustrated schematically a dater 156, which may comprise conventional rotary number wheels, and an auxiliary or station plate 158 which is releasably held by a pair of retainers 160, 160. A spring guide and retainer 162 for positioning and retaining the removable embossed card or printing token C is also provided on the bed, and comprises a substantially inverted U-shaped member having a pair of depending arms 164 and 166. Each of the arms is provided with a rearwardly formed ear 168, 168 at its lower end as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which extend through openings 169, 169 provided in the bed. The retainer 162 is mounted on the bed by means of a pair of flexible spring tongues 170, 170, integrally formed from the retainer material, which secure the arms 164 and 166 of the retainer to the bed in such a way that the retainer is permitted to be swung slightly outwardly away from the bed when the card C is inserted into printing position or withdrawn therefrom and urged back against the bed to hold the card in place. Additionally, the bed is provided with a recessed pocket formed by side ribs 174, 174 and top ribs 176, 176. In this way, the card C is accurately positioned within the pocket with the bottom corners of the card resting on the ears 168, 168 of the retainer, and it is securely held in place by the spring retainer 162 which engages the top and side margins of the card. Of course, the embossures on the card are arranged to be positioned within the U-shaped opening afforded by the retainer 162 so as to be exposed for printing. To facilitate removal and insertion of the card, a cut out 172 for finger clearance is provided at the upper portion of the bed 150.

A channel type gauge 180- for retaining a form to be imprinted is also mounted on the bed 150 and is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The gauge 180 is substantially V-shaped in cross section and comprises a vertical rear wall 182, an inclined front wall 184 and end walls 186, 186. The front wall is a continuation of the rear wall and is formed from the bottom edge thereof upwardly and outwardly therefrom to a position about midway between the top and bottom edges of the rear wall. Each of the bottom corners of the gauge is also provided with a notch 181, 181 to remove any radius and permit a form to seat squarely within the gauge. Also, the rear wall 182 is provided with a cutout 188 to afford exposure of the auxiliary plate 158 and the dater 156 to the roller platen and the form.

The gauge 180 is mounted to the bed 150 with screws 190 which fasten into a pair of weld nuts 192 provided on the back side of the rear wall 182. This arrangement affords a secure mounting of the gauge to the bed without any obstructions such as screw heads or nuts on the inside surface of the rear wall which would interfere with the positioning of a form in the gauge.

Although various size forms may be imprinted in the data recorder of the present invention, the arrangement of the gauge 180 shown herein is adapted to accommodate conventional tabulating card forms or form sets of either 80 or 51 column capacity. As shown in FIG. 4 in broken lines, an 80 column card F8 is retained in printing position by the end walls 186, 186, of the gauge, whereas a 51 column card F is retained by one of the end walls 186 and an ear 194 formed outwardly from the rear wall 182 of the gauge. The ear 194 is positioned outside the printing area and, therefore, does not interfere with the path of the roller platen during an imprinting operation. From the foregoing, it will be understood that the gauge 180 provides for selfalignment of the form in that all that is necessary to place the form in printing position is to drop it into the gauge with only a reasonable amount of care. The bottom of the V-shaped channel, provided by the formation of the front and rear walls, affords a locating stop for the lower edge of the form and the form is held thereagainst by gravity in all positions of the bed 150. This, of course, provides consistent registration of the forms without requiring critical positioning of the forms by the operator.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 9, the data recorder is completely enclosed by covers HC, MC and BC; HC being the movable section cover, MC being the machine or base cover and BC being the bottom cover. Cover MC is preferably made of molded plastic and is attached to the base B in any suitable manner.

The cover HC is also preferably made of molded plastic and, as shown in FIG. 9, comprises an inclined front surface 202, side Walls 204 (only one being shown in the drawings) and a horizontal top surface 206. The forward edge of the top surface 206 is provided with a pair of spaced apart, upwardly projecting latches 208 (only one shown in the drawings) which are adapted to engage a pair of stop abutments 210 depending from the top surface of the section 104. The cover HC is further provided with a notch 212 having a periphery of slightly more than a semicircle in each end wall 204, formed inwardly from the front edge of the walls as shown in FIG. 9. A narrow slit 214 is also provided in each end wall, and extends a short distance rearwardly from the closed side of the notch 212 on the horizontal center line thereof, to permit the notch to expand and contract when the cover is being placed on movable section or removed therefrom. Mounting of the cover HC on the head is accomplished merely by snapping the notches over the rod 154 and flexing the top surface 206 of the cover downwardly and guiding it through openings 216 provided in the front surface of the bed 150. As the top surface moves into place, the latches 208 spring upwardly with the top surface and engage the abutments 210 which securely retain the cover HC movable section without resorting to the use of tools of any kind.

In the operation of the novel data recorder of the present invention, the embossed card C is placed in printing position under the retainer 162 on the bed 150, and a form such as F8 to be imprinted is positioned in the channel gauge 182. Thereupon the bed 150 is manually pivoted forwardly from the open (dotted line) positioned to the closed (full line) position shown in FIG. 3. As the bed is being moved to its closed position, the camming surface 135 of the arm 136 (which normally engages the roller 132 to hold the bail against movement by the spring moves downward into engagement with the forward edge of the latch bar 106 which, like the roller 132, is effective to hold the bail 94 against movement, even after the camming surface leaves engagement with the roller 132. At the same time, of course, the camming surface on arm 137 is in contact with the edge of the latch bar 106 at its other end. At the end of the travel of the bed to fully closed position against the base, the camming surfaces clear the latch bar ends, and the bail 94 is pivoted by the spring 100 in an anticlockwise direction from. the broken line position to the full line position (FIG. 3) causing the latch bar to move forwardly into locking engagement with faces 107 and 107 on the arms 136 and 137.

As the bail 94 is pivoted to lock the bed closed, slide 114 is moved in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 as a result of being connected to the bail by the screw 124. This movement of the slide 114 urges the head 121 of the screw 118 against the actuator arm 34, and pivots the arm in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 to effect closing of the switch MS through depression of the plunger 142 by the arm 34. Closing of the switch energizes the motor 28 which, through the crank arm 50 drives the drive fork 52, carrying the platen P, from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 7 to effect a printing operation on the form F8. As the platen moves through its printing stroke, the cam surface 66 on the drive fork moves out of engagement with the ear 42 of the lock bar 38 causing the spring 40 to urge the lock bar in the direction of arrow B in FIGS. 6 and 8, until the bottom edge of the lock bar rides into engagement 'with the top surface of the end 33 of the actuator arm 34.

As the drive fork 52 reaches its broken line position 9 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the extension 68 of the drive fork passes through an opening 69 in the side plate 10 (see FIG. 2) and engages the projection 116 on the slide 114, thereby urging the slide to the left. The leftward movement of the slide pivots the bail 94 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 3, thus withdrawing the latch bar 106 from the faces 107 and 107 on arms 136 and 137 of the bed 150 and causing the spring 100 to swing the bed to open position. However, since the lock bar 38 is still engaged with the end 33 of the arm 34, arm 34 continues to be held against the plunger 142 of the switch MS, and motor 28 remains energized. Accordingly, the drive fork 52 is driven back to its start position, with the bed 150 open to prevent double imaging of the form. When the cam surface 66 of the drive fork engages the ear 42 of the lock bar 38, it moves the lock bar to the right as viewed in FIG. 8, thereby disengaging the lock bar from the end 33 of the arm 34. Thereupon arm 34 is allowed to pivot in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, and releases the plunger 142 of the switch MS to shut off the motor 28 and stop the machine. This motion of the arm 34 is now permitted because the head 121 of screw 118 is, at this time, being held in its leftward position (FIG. 2) as a result of contact between the cam surface 135 of the arm 136 and the roller 132 because the bed 150 is now in open position. At this.

point the form and the card may be removed from the machine and the machine is in condition for another imprinting operation.

The pressure-relief recesses 92 in the faces of rails 84 and 86 provide for reduced contact force between the platen and the bed when the platen is in home position. This is so that the bed 150 may be easily closed and latched without requiring the operator to exert force thereagainst. Printing pressure does not develop until the platen has started to move and bearings 78, 80 have ridden up out of the recesses 92. It is actually possible with careful forming of the grooves 92 to have the bed 150 close readily when a single form is beneath the platen, but fail to close if two forms have been inadvertently placed in the gauge 182. Pressure relief recesses 92 are somewhat similar in function, their purpose being to relieve printing pressure at the end of the printing stroke to relieve the friction load which might tend to impair withdrawal of the latch bar 106 to allow the bed to open.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the data recorder of the present invention provides a novel arrangement for rapidly and uniformly printing various types of forms. Because the data recorder is electrically powered, the printing pressure of the roller platen against the form and embossed printing devices is not influenced by the manner in which the operator manipulates the platen, but it consistent from one impression to another, thereby making it possible to produce printed impressions of uniform high density and clarity on all forms. Further, the gravity acting channel type gauge permits accurate positioning of the form in printing position without requiring any critical manual alignment of the form against side guides or the like.

Additionally, the data recorder provides a roller platen assembly which permits quick and easy removal and replacement of the platen without the use of tools, and may therefore provide for rapid interchange so that either a dry platen or an inked platen may be used to permit imprinting carbon interleaved forms as well as single part forms on the same machine.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification. Accordingly, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such variations and modifications as may fall within the true spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A data recorder comprising:

an upstanding main frame;

a roller platen carried on said frame, means for driving said platen from a home position to an actuated position in a fixed path printing stroke which generates an erect rectangular plane in an unobstructed position;

a bed arranged for receiving and holding printing elements and providing a support structure to hold a form which is to receive a printing act, said bed defining an erect substantially planar area corresponding to said'rectangular plane generated by said roller platen axis;

means for mounting said bed on said frame for movement between open and closed positions; said open position presenting said planar area of said bed exposed to observation from a top view and accessible for operator installation of printing elements and forms, and said closed position presenting said planar area contiguous with said rectangular plane generated by said platen;

form holder gauge means carried by said bed, said gauge means defined by upwardly divergent guide walls and a lower locating stop for the forms, a receptacle into which a form may be released to settle into a predetermined registration print position with the locating stop engaging the lower edges of the forms so that the forms are held thereagainst by gravity in all positions of the bed.

2. A data recorder comprising:

an upstanding main frame;

a roller platen carried on said frame, means for driving said platen from a home position to an actuated position in a fixed path printing stroke which generates an erect rectangular plane in an unobstructed position;

a bed arranged for receiving and holding printing elements and providing a support structure to hold a form which is to receive a printing act, said bed defining an erect substantially planar area corresponding to said rectangular plane generated by said roller platen axis;

means for mounting said bed on said frame for movement between open and closed positions; said open position presenting said planar area of said bed exposed to observation from a top view and accessible for operator installation of printing elements and forms, and said closed position presenting said planar area contiguous with said rectangular plane generated by said platen;

form holder gauge means carried by said bed, said gauge means defined by upwardly divergent guide Walls and a lower locating stop for the forms, a receptacle into which a form may be released to settle into a predetermined registration print position with the locating stop engaging the lower edges of the forms so that the forms are held thereagainst by gravity in all positions of the bed;

power means in said frame for driving the roller platen in said printing stroke;

means responsive to completion of movement of the bed to its closed position for activating said power means to move the platen through said fixed path; and

means responsive to completion of the movement of the platen through said printing stroke for moving the bed to its open position.

3. A data recorder as set forth in claim 2 in which the means to activate the power means includes:

an actuator arm associated with the power means and movable between a first position in which it activates the power means and a second position in which it deactivates the power means;

means for moving the actuator arm to its first position as a function of movement of the bed to closed posit-ion, thereby activating said power means;

a locking member, means for engaging said locking member into locking relationship with said actuator arm after the actuator arm is moved to its first position, said power means thereby remaining activated independently of said bed position; and

said power means driving said platen from said ac-- tuated to said home position after opening of said bed, and means responsive to arrival of the platen to said home position for disengaging said locking member and restoring said actuator arm to said second position.

4. A data recorder as set forth in claim 2 in which the power means comprises a drive fork pivotally mounted on the base and rotatably supporting the roller platen and a crank arm drivingly associated with the drive fork for moving the roller laten between the home position and the actuated position.

5. A data recorder as set forth in claim 2 in which the power means comprises:

a drive fork;

an axle shaft;

said roller platen having an axial opening freely slideable on said axle shaft, means for removably constraining said platen to a fixed operating location on said axle shaft, said axle shaft carried on said drive fork by interference surface means for imparting power to drive the platen across said bed, said interference surface means and said axle separable by shifting said axle to permit said axle shaft to lift free of said interference surface means, whereby the roller platen may be removed endwise off said axle shaft and replaced by a new roller platen.

6. A data recorder as set forth in claim 5 in which further includes resilient means for urging said axle shaft into drive receiving engagement with said interference surface means.

7. A data recorder as set forth in claim 2 in which the bed is manually moved from the open position to the closed position and which includes:

means on said base coacting with the bed to latch the bed to withstand printing pressures when the platen is moved in a printing stroke, and effective to unlatch the bed from the base to permit moving the bed to open position when the roller platen reaches the actuated position.

8. A data recorder as set forth in claim 7 in which the last named means comprises:

a bail pivotally movable between a first position and a second position; i a latch bar driven by the bail and movable therewith; means for moving the bail to the first position when the bed is moved to the closed position to move the latch bar into latching relation with the bed; means for moving the bail from the first position to the second position to unlatch the bed from the base;

said second named bail moving means being actuated by the drive means as the roller platen approaches the actuated position.

9. A data recorder as set forth in claim 8 which further comprises:

an actuator arm movable between an operative position and an inoperative position, said operative and inoperative positions being effective to activate and deactivate the power means respectively;

means associated with the bail for moving the arm to the operative position when the bail is moved to the first position for actuating said power means to drive the roller platen to the actuated position; locking means for maintaining the arm in the operative position regardless of the position of the bail and means to displace said locking means for moving the arm to inoperative position when the roller platen reaches the home position.

10. A data recorder as set forth in claim 9 in which the locking means includes a slidable bar movable into and out of blocking relation with the arm;

means for moving the sliding bar to said arm blocking position when the roller platen is moved to the actuated position; and

means to move the sliding bar out of blocking relation with the arm when the roller platen is moved to the home position.

11. A data recorder as set forth in claim 10 in which the means associated with the bail engages the arm and moves the same to operative position in response to movement of the bed to the closed position and in which said drive means includes means effective to move the means associated with the bail away from contact with the arm after the bar is moved into blocking relation therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,900,899 8/1959 Evans 101269 3,173,362 3/1965 Yow-Jiun Hu 101269 FOREIGN PATENTS 990,409 4/ 1965 Great Britain.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

F. A. WINANS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,L+20,171 Dated January 7, 9 9

Inventor(s) John A. Maul et al It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, the bar indicating the end of the Abstract should be deleted from its position following line 20 and inserted between lines 28 and 29.

SIGNED AND SEALED Alielsigm (SEAL) Atteat:

Edwardul'letdlmlr. mm L m. Attesting Offioer Wilim or latants FORM PO-IOSO 410-69) 

